Time-actuated load releasing mechanism



March 5, 1940.

TIME-ACTUATED LOAD RELEASING MECHANISM Filed March 28, 1938 a RZESMJWiW YG. BY A'r'i'oRNEY' c. w. STRONG 2,192,457 I Patented Mar. 5, 1940 PATENT OFFICE TIME-ACTUATED LOAD RELEASING MECHANISM Charles W. Strong, Portland, reg., assignor to Strong Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Oregon Application March 28, 1938, Serial No. 198,483

2 Claims.

removably secured thereto at one of its ends and its opposite end operatively connected with a valve. The valve, by movement of the chain, is set into an open position and maintained in that position by engagement of the chain with the tripping mechanism which is maintained in a holding position for the period of time selected by the operator. Any suitable form of mechanical or electrical time-clock mechanism is operatively connected with the tripping mechanism whereby operation of the clock mechanism through a selected period of time, preferably measured in minutes, will cause the tripping mechanism to release the chain which in turn will allow the valve to close. The valve is preferably formed with a spring or weighted return element which will cause the valve to close upon releasing the chain.

The foregoing and. other objects will appear as my invention is more fully hereinafter described in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an assembly view showing the timeactuated releasing mechanism operatively engaged with a valve and its actuating mechanism remotely disposed from the releasing mechanism.

Figure 2 is an enlarged front elevation of my releasing mechanism operatively engaged with a time-clock mechanism.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of Figure 2 with some parts omitted, and Figure 4 is a modified form of the invention. v

Referring now more particularly to the drawmgs:

In Figure 1, reference numeral I indicates, generally, the time-clock mechanism which may be secured to a wall or other structure within a dwelling and connected by a chain 2, cable, or the like, with an actuating arm 3 of a valve 4. The valve is disposed within a supply line to gov- 55 em the flow from the inletpipe 5 out through the discharge pipe 6. The invention is described in connection with a valve to control burner operation in a water heater but it is obvious that the invention is readily adaptable to valves, generally, in connection with various other opera- R tions wherein periodic operation of the valve is the main desideratum.

The time-clock mechanism is provided with a housing I! which is removably secured to a backplate 8 in any suitable manner. The back-plate 101 is suitably apertured for attachment to a support. The lowermost end of the back-plate is provided witha projection ii whose lowermost end is turned inwardly as at It] to provide a permanent support for the uppermost end of the 15 chain-2. A finger-ring l! is permanently secured to the chain 2 at a suitable distance below the time-clock housing. The ring provides a con venient means for grasping thechain and drawing it upwardly to swing the valve arm 3 from a :20 closed position to the open position shown in dotted lines in Figure l. The chain may be maintained in its upwardly disposed position by placing the ring II over a hook I2 forming a part of my load-releasing mechanism. The hook :25 I2 is formed in One leg I3 01" a bell-crank M which is pivoted as at l5 to the front face of a housing IS. The rear edges of the housing are flanged as at I! and secured to the back-plate 8 by any suitablemeans, such as riveting, spot- (3' welding, or the like. The other leg 18 of the bellcrank l4 terminates in a hook l9, and its upward movement from the full-line position to that shown in dotted lines is governed by the engagement or disengagement of the lowermost end of a rocker-arm 20, which is pivoted asat 2| to the front face of the housing I6. Approximately midway between the pivot point 2| and the bottom end of the rocker-arm Iprovide a spring 22 whose one end engages with the arm as at 231 and whose opposite end engages as at 24 with a side wall of the housing 86. The purpose of this spring is to normally maintain the rocker-arm in its full-line position as shown. The lowermost end of the rocker-arm is turned outwardly to 1- form a projection 20A for engagement with the hook I9.

The outermost end of the upper portion of the rocker-arm 25 terminates in an angular projection 26 which is disposed in the path of movement of an arm 21 swingably carried by a shaft 28 which is part of the clock mechanism. A gear wheel 29, also part of the clock mechanism, and frictionally movable with respect to the arm 2'! and its shaft 28, is provided with a stud 30 adapted.

to move the arm 21 from its dotted-line position to the full-line position when the clock is set by means of the handle 3!, which is provided at one of its ends with a pointer 32 for convenience in selecting the predetermined periods of clock operation as represented by the various sections reading from through 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes on the face of the clock mechanism. In Figure 2 I have shown the clock set to run for twenty minutes. In moving the handle 31 from zero to the twenty-minute position the gear wheel 29 is rotated sufliciently to move the stud 38 from its dotted-line position to full-line position. Such movement of the wheel and stud move the arm 2'! from its dotted-line position to the full-line position. Upon releasing the handle 3!, and with the stud and arm 2? in their full-line positions, the clock mechanism is set into operation. Such operation of the clock mechanism causes the stud 30, by means of the wheel 29, to move from the full-line position back to the dotted-line position, and allows the arm 21 to remain in its full-line position. This movement of the stud requires a period of twenty minutes. The stud now in its dotted-line position forms a limit-stop for the subsequent movement of the arm 21 from its full-line position to the dotted-line position. By the time the stud 30 moves from its full to dotted-line position the pointer 32 of the handle has moved back to zero, and at that time an alarm bell 33 is sounded by a hammer, not shown, and the duration of the hammer action against the bell endures for the time required for the arm '21 to move from its full line to dotted-line position. Such movement of the arm, however, is accomplished in a relatively short period of time compared with the twenty-minute movement of the stud.

With the rocker-arm in its full-line position it will be seen that the projection on its lowermost end is in the path of upward movement of the leg ill of the bell-crank and the leg is thus held in its full-line position which provides anchorage for the ring H of the chain 2 to maintain the chain in its upwardly pulled position. This position of the bell-crank is maintained until the lowermost end of the rocker-arm is moved out of the path of movement of the leg it of the bell-crank and such outward movement of the lower end of the rocker-arm is accomplished by movement of the rocker-arm from its full to dotted-line position. Such movement of the rocker-arm is accomplished by engagement of the arm 2? with the projection 26 of the upper end of the rocker-arm. When the arm '2? moves from full to dotted-line position in its bell-winging travel, it engages the angular projection 26 of the rocker-arm and moves that end of the rocker arm outwardly, as shown in dotted lines. Upon completion of this movement the lower end of the rocker-arm is removed from the path of travel of the leg l8 and the load imposed upon the chain by the valve arm 3 swings the bellcrank into the dotted-line positionshown in Figure 2 whereby the chain .is caused to drop by the ring I! sliding off the hook portion 12.

Briefly the operation of the device is as follows: When burner operation is desired for a period of twenty minutes, for example, the pointer 32 is positioned correspondingly on the dial of the clock mechanism. At the same time the chain 2 is drawn upwardly to open the valve and to maintain the valve open by engaging the ring with the hook 12 which has been set into a fixed position by the action of, the rocker-arm, as

aforesaid. When the clock has run for twenty minutes and the pointer returns to zero the alarm is sounded for a short period of time, at the end of which the bell-crank has been released by the rocker-arm and is allowed to assume a loadreleasing position.

By this arrangement an operator may set a burner in operation for a predetermined period of time and thereafter pay no further attention to the device which is automatic in operation and which will stop burner operation upon completion of the selected period of time and which will sound an alarm to indicate that the burner has been stopped.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figure 4, 34 indicates a housing in which is disposed any approved type of timeclock mechanism having a shaft 35 extending outwardly therefrom to which is keyed, or otherwise secured, a lifting arm 36. The front face of the time-clock mechanism is provided with a suitably numbered dial and a pointer, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The pointer is operatively connected with the shaft 35 and adapted to move the arm 36 in accordance with the movement of the pointer. For example, if the pointer is moved to the fifteen-minute position on the dial the arm 36 will be swung to approximately its full line position, shown in Figure 4. Following this, fifteen minutes of operation of the time-clock mechanism will cause the arm 36 to move upwardly into substantially its dotted line position, as shown.

An alarm bell 31 is mounted to the housing in any suitable manner. I have shown only a fragment of a bell for convenience of illustration. A harmner 38 is pivotally mounted, as at 39, to the housing and is adapted to be tripped under spring tension into striking contact with the bell. One end of the arm of the hammer terminates in a right-angular projection it).

A tripping arm is pivotally mounted at one of its ends as at 42 to the housing. The opposite end of the tripping arm is formed with a projection 43 which is adapted to be brought into and out of contact with the projection Ml on the end of the hammer arm. A spring 24 is connected at one of its ends with the hammer arm, as at 45, and its opposite end is connected, as at 416, with the tripping arm. The spring normally maintains the free end of the tripping arm in contact with the end of the hammer arm. When the said two ends of the arms are in contact the hammer is held in a non-striking position, as shown in full lines, so long as the arm 36 is out of contact with the tripping arm. However, after a predetermined period of time-clock operation, as determined by the setting of the pointer, as aforesaid, and when the arm 36 contacts the tripping arm 41 and lifts it upwardly into the dotted line position shown, the end 43 of the tripping arm is moved away from-the projection 45] on the hammer arm. The spring at then snaps the now free end of the hammer arm inwardly which causes the opposite end to movedownwardly causing the hammer to strike the bell.

Depending from the housing 34 and secured thereto by a locking band 41 is a plate or bracket 48. Near the upper end of the bracket 48 Ipivotally mount a trigger arm 59 whose one end is weighted, as at Bil, and whose opposite end .is formedwith an angular projection 5| arranged in the pathof movement of the hammer arm. The

trigger arm is cut away, as shown, to form -a shoulder 52. At the bottom of the bracket 48 I pivotally mount, as at 53, a load-releasing arm d. The lower end of the arm is formed with a hook 7 portion 55 adapted to receive one end of the chain or cable leading to a valve mechanism, as illustrated' in Figure 1. In the full line position,

shown in Figure 4, the arm 5t will maintain the chain in the lifted position by reason of the upper end of the arm contacting the shoulder 52 in the trigger arm when it is in its full line position wherein the projection 5| on the inner end of the trigger arm is in the path of movement of the hammer arm. When the clock mechanism is operated for its predetermined period of time and the arm 35 has lifted the arm into the dotted line position shown, the hammer 38, as previously stated, swings down to strike the bell 31. In so doing, the hammer arm strikes downwardly on the inner end of the trigger arm which causes the other end of the arm to move upwardly, and in so doing move the shoulder portion 52 away from the upper end of the load-releasing arm. When the upper end of the load-releasing arm-is thus released the arm will swing into the dotted line position allowing the chain to fall from the hook portion of the lower end of the arm.

While I have shown a particular form of embodiment of my invention I am aware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves to others skilled in the art without depar ing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A time-actuated load releasing mechanism, comprising a time-clock mechanism having an alarm associated therewith, a rotatable shaft extending outwardly from the clock mechanism, an arm secured to and rotatable with said shaft, a

tripper arm arranged in the path of movement of the arm, a hammer arm pivoted to the clock mechanism and adapted to be engaged by the ,tripper arm, the hammer arm being resiliently connected with the tripper arm and adapted to strike the alarm when-released by the tripper arm, a trigger arm pivotally mounted with respect to the clock mechanism and arranged in the path of movement of the hammer arm and adapted to be actuated thereby, a hook swingably mounted below the trigger'arm and adapted to be maintained in a load-carrying position by the trigger arm and released thereby to move into a loaddischarging position upon movement of the hammer arm against the trigger arm.

2. A time-actuated load releasing mechanism,

arm, a trigger arm pivotally mounted with respect to the clock mechanism and'adapted' to be swung about its pivot by movement of the hammer arm toward the alarm, load supporting means disposed below the trigger arm and adapted to be maintained in a load-carrying position by the trigger arm and released thereby to move into a load-discharging position upon movement of the hammer arm against the trigger, arm.

CHARLES W. STRONG. I 

